by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON - Attorney General Eric Holder has promised a "wide-ranging'' review of the government's controversial mass collection of Americans' telephone records to determine how the program can be modified.

In testimony Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder said he and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper - at the direction of President Obama - would consult with some of the harshest critics of the National Security Agency program, which was disclosed in detail last year by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Last week, a separate government panel, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, characterized the program as illegal and recommended that it be shutdown.

Holder, however, told the Senate panel that he believed the program to be both "appropriate'' and a "constitutional use of government power.''

The attorney general's comments were part of a broad Senate oversight inquiry in which Holder vowed to track the sources of a massive data breach at retail giant Target; acknowledged the nation's "dangerous'' vulnerability to cyber intrusions; characterized the active sex-trafficking trade that typically follows major events, including the Super Bowl, as a "top priority'' for federal authorities; and defended Justice's ongoing investigation into the IRS and allegations that it targeted conservative citizens groups.

Holder confirmed that federal authorities were investigating the customer data breach at Target, saying that investigators are taking the matter "seriously.''

"While we generally do not discuss specific matters under investigation,'' Holder said, "I can confirm the department is investigating the breach involving U.S. retailer Target. And we are committed to working to find not only the perpetrators of these sorts of data breaches but also any individuals and groups who exploit that data via credit card fraud.''

More broadly, Holder said the overall threat posed by cyberattacks put the nation "at risk.''

"This nation should be afraid of where we could be after a cyberattack,'' Holder said. "Our nation is at risk; out infrastructure is at risk. ... It is only going to get worse; the danger to us is only going to be heightened.''

Responding to senators' concerns related to sex trafficking and the uptick in activity that traditionally surrounds the Super Bowl, Holder called the trafficking operations an "ugly thing that this nation has to confront.''

"We have to see the young women involved in this as victims, not as criminals,'' Holder said. "We as a nation are not dealing with this as effectively as we can.''

Separately, at least three Republican senators questioned Holder on the status of the IRS inquiry.

"Two-hundred and eighty days have passed and nobody has been indicted,'' said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.

The attorney general said the inquiry is "open and it is proceeding'' and disputed a suggestion that federal investigators had decided not to bring criminal charges.

"All of the options are on the table,'' Holder said. "There has not been a determination whether to bring charges or to decline a case.''